


The bonds that tie us

by Kyarorain



Category: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2012-12-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 00:06:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16028849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyarorain/pseuds/Kyarorain
Summary: They wake up in the morning, side by side, and so the day begins.





	The bonds that tie us

**Author's Note:**

> For [shledzguohn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shledzguohn/gifts).

At seven am sharp, the alarm came to life, ringing shrilly and rousing the pair from their sleep. Jowd sat up and reached over to hit the button, restoring silence to the room.

"It's morning already?" Alma yawned, putting a hand over her mouth. Though she usually got up around the same time as Jowd and it was rarely ever an issue, she had gone to bed quite a bit later last night and was feeling the side effects.

"You should lie in a bit longer. It's your day off work after all."

"I like keeping you company in the morning. Anyway, Kamila's bound to wake up sometime soon."

"If you say so." Jowd kissed her forehead. "I'm just going to get in the shower first."

When he was done with that, he picked out some clothes and started getting dressed. "That was a fun evening you had, wasn't it?"

Alma was seated at the dressing table, watching herself in the mirror while she brushed her hair. "Yes, it was. Nights out with the girls are never dull." She smiled as a thought occurred to her. "It's not very often I get to go to bed after you, is it?"

"Mmm." Jowd briefly nodded. He considered the bed to be very lonely when she wasn't in it, even more so when he thought about all those nights in prison, alone in a cell. Alma had no idea just how much he appreciated being able to get beneath the covers with her at night and waking up in the morning to see her lying next to him.

"There you go, drifting off into your thoughts again," Alma interrupted. "What are you thinking about now?"

"Just how lonely it is going to bed without you."

"Oh?" Alma had the feeling there was something more to it. Ever since that incident a year ago, there had been some clear mysteries surrounding him and while she would love to know what was up with that, she wasn't going to force the truth out of him. She wanted to believe he would tell her when the time was right. "Maybe you can come out with us next time."

"I'll pass on that, thanks."

"Really?" Alma looked over her shoulder at him, feigning an astonished expression. "What a surprise. We all know what a social butterfly you are."

"At least we won't run out of space in the address book." Jowd crossed the room, seeing her shake her head at his response, and adjusted his tie in front of the wall length mirror. "There we go."

"All done?" Alma rose from the seat. "I'll go brew some coffee." She left, briefly checking on Kamila and finding her still asleep.

Jowd made breakfast for himself, Alma being content to eat the fruit salad from the fridge, and they sat down together.

Alma heaped some yoghurt onto the fruit and started eating, watching Jowd tuck into his eggs and toast, complete with ketchup. "I hope our plans for tonight will go as planned. It would be terrible if we had any interruptions." She didn't even have to explain what she meant by that.

"Oh, don't worry," Jowd assured her, "every criminal in town promised to take the night off just for us."

A chuckle of amusement passed her lips. "If only. Anyway, I just need to get a few things today and then we're all set. I'll be counting on you boys to get home as soon as you can."

"We'll try our best."

"I know you will."

A few minutes later, Kamila came into the room, her bare feet silently padding over the floor. The cat followed behind her. Her face lit up at the sight of her mother. "Mommy!" she exclaimed, running toward her with arms outstretched.

Alma lifted her up onto her lap. Kamila wrapped her arms around her neck and snuggled into her chest. "Good morning, sweetie. Did you have a nice time last night?"

"Yeah." Kamila looked up at her with a wide smile. "We played games an' ate mac an' cheese. Then Daddy read me a bedtime story."

"That's nice. What story did he read you?"

"Um." Kamila's brow furrowed as she tried to remember. "That one with the princess..."

There were quite a few books in her collection involving princesses but Alma was hardly going to press her three year old daughter for further details. "Did you miss me?"

"Yeah. Will you take me with you next time, Mommy?"

"I think you would be bored," Jowd said. "Don't you like keeping Daddy company in the evening? It's lonely when it's just me and the cat."

Sissel mewed.

"No offence meant, Sissel."

"I don't think he actually understands you," Alma pointed out, little knowing how wrong she was. "Anyway, you would get very tired if you stayed up past your bedtime, Kamila."

"If Daddy comes too, Daddy won't be lonely, an' I'll try not to be tired."

"I'll have to go to work in a bit. You want to come give me a hug before I leave?"

Kamila left Alma's lap and relocated to Jowd's. Alma cleared up the table and carried away the dishes. She paused in the kitchen doorway to look at her husband and daughter, smiling fondly. They had such a peaceful, happy family life and she was so glad for that. It would be nice if these days could last forever.

Soon, it was time for Jowd to leave. He gave Alma a hug and kissed her. "I'll be back tonight. Hopefully."

"Take care."

Kamila was in the middle of eating her breakfast. Alma waited for her to finish. "Have you had enough to eat? It's time for your bath. Let's take one together, shall we?"

"Yeah!"

Alma ran the bath and they both got in. Kamila immediately engaged herself in guiding a duo of rubber ducks through the mounds of bubbles on the water's surface. Alma lay back and sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. It was a real treat to be able to have a hot, relaxing bath in the morning.

She thought about Jowd, who would likely be arriving at the police station by now. What was he going to get involved in today? The usual things, she supposed, solving a case or chasing down some criminal. Cabanela was bound to be by his side. The two of them were such brilliant detectives and Jowd was lucky to have a partner and close friend like him.

Cabanela was dear to her too. Ever since Jowd had brought him home for dinner a few years before, he had become a part of their everyday lives. It felt so natural to have him around and she couldn't imagine it any other way. Many a long evening had been spent with the three of them sitting around the table with drinks, exchanging repartees and regaling each other with fascinating stories. At other times, they would choose to sit in front of the television to watch a movie and snuggle together, creating a tangle of limbs and bodies. Extricating themselves afterwards could be quite the challenge.

They were all so close to each other that she could say that it felt more like a three person relationship. She loved Jowd so very much - he was the man she had fallen in love with, married and had a child with after all. He was ever so caring and a real sweetheart. There was so much of him to cuddle too, which was a definite bonus. As for Cabanela, he was a very charming man and somewhat of an eccentric one too. It was obvious how much he cared for both her and Jowd. He was someone she knew she could count on, and Jowd knew that as well.

"Mommy." Kamila's voice jerked Alma out of her thoughts. "Are you asleep?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just closing my eyes for a bit." And becoming absorbed in thoughts of the two men in her life, though she chose not to share that information.

Satisfied that her mother had not ended up drifting off, Kamila started playing with the bubbles and letting them drip through her fingers.

Alma let her play for a while longer before reaching for the shampoo. "Come here. Mommy wants to wash your hair."

Kamila obediently scrambled over and turned around, allowing her to lather shampoo onto her head.

"We're going to have a very special night tonight, you know that?" Alma asked, working her fingers through the short mop of purple hair.

"Special?" Kamila repeated, her eyes lighting up. "How come?"

"Because somebody's having a birthday today."

"Birthday?" A note of excitement crept into her voice. "I like birthdays 'cause they have parties."

How nice it was to be a child and think that every birthday would come with a celebration party, Alma thought. That was one of the exciting things about childhood - having your own birthday parties or going to your friends'. "Well, it's not a big party or anything like that, we're just having a special dinner."

"Oh..."

"But, don't worry, we're still going to have cake."

"Yippee!"

As nice as bathtime was, it had to come to an end. After they got dressed and ready for the day, Alma put the cartoons on for Kamila and sat down to go through the shopping list. There wasn't too much to get today, since most of the necessary items had already been purchased, including the ever important gifts.

The morning went by and afternoon came. Once they had eaten lunch, Alma took Kamila out to the shops to get the rest of the things for tonight. The last stop was the cake shop.

"Wow..." Kamila's eyes grew wide as saucers as she looked around the store, fascinated by the cakes on display. "There's so many." Letting go of her mother's hand, she drifted closer to the display cabinets.

"Don't touch anything," Alma cautioned her. She went to the counter and asked for the cake she had ordered. A short while later, the clerk set the cake down in front of her. It was already in a box, with the lid open.

The cake looked just how she had wanted it - white icing all over, with dabs of cream and strawberries on the top. The spots of red on white reminded her of how Cabanela wore that red scarf over his white coat and it had, in fact, been inspiration for the cake's design.

"Oh, what a lovely cake." Just looking at it was making her start to feel hungry again. It would surely taste as good as it looked. This shop was supposed to make fantastic cakes and she was looking forward to seeing if that held true.

Kamila had her hands pressed against the glass of a cabinet, eyeing up a row of cupcakes. Each cupcake had swirls of icing topping it, in a variety of colors.

"Kamila, we're going."

Kamila turned her head. "Mommy, I want a cupcake."

"We're having cake tonight. You didn't forget, did you?" Alma held out her hand and Kamila took it. "I'll get you some cupcakes another time, okay?"

"Okay." Though placated by the promise of cupcakes in the future, Kamila couldn't help throwing one last longing look over her shoulder.

When they got home, Kamila was worn out and Alma put her down to bed. While she slept, Alma settled down to watch television. Sissel came to keep her company, settling on her lap and curling up.

The hours slowly passed by until, just before six, the sound of the front door opening announced Jowd's return.

"I'm home!" Jowd called out as he came walking in. He was promptly greeted by Kamila, who came running to wrap her arms around his legs. Alma wasn't far behind.

"Daddy!"

"Hi, sweetheart. Have a good day?"

"Oh good, you came home early." Alma still had a concerned look on her face however. "Is Cabanela-"

She broke off her question when the door opened a second time. Cabanela stepped inside and twirled gracefully in their direction.

"Oh, I see. Making a dramatic entrance as usual."

"Good eeevening, ladies." Cabanela placed a hand on his hip, flashing a smile.

"Hi, Uncle Cabanela!" Kamila beamed at him.

"Hello, dear." Alma leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Happy birthday. I hope you've been enjoying it so far."

"Thank you. It's been a typical day down at the station, pretty much what you'd expect, but the boys did have something for the occasion. Still, it doesn't compare to coming here and seeing your lovely smile."

"Oh, you." Alma laughed, slapping her fingers lightly on his arm. "But I'm glad you could make it. I know how busy your job is keeping you."

"I think it's time for some drinks." Jowd disappeared into the kitchen and soon came back out with a chilled bottle of champagne and some glasses. He poured out the champagne and the three raised their glasses high, clinking them together.

"Cheers!"

They sipped at the fizzing liquid in unison and let it linger on their tongues, revelling in the fruity tones that danced over their tastebuds. It slid down their throats and warmed their chests, leaving them satisfied.

"Ahh. Now this is good stuff." Cabanela eyed his glass.

"Do you want a drink?" Alma asked Kamila.

"Yeah. I want juice."

Kamila got her juice and everyone relocated to the living room. Alma and Jowd immediately made themselves comfortable on the couch and Kamila started playing with Sissel. Cabanela turned his attention to the stereo and began rifling through their CD collection.

"Nothing like some good music to liven up the mood, baby. Now, where's that album... aha, here it is." Cabanela slotted in the CD and hit play. He strutted over to the sofa and wriggled his way into the remaining space.

Seconds later, the room was filled with a soft, enchanting melody. The singer's voice joined in with the tune.

"Oh, this is the song about someone being stranded on a tropical island and separated from their love," Alma said. "I wouldn't mind being on a tropical island right now. Not alone, of course." She leaned on her husband, raising her head so that she was looking up at him. "I know you'd be hopeless without me."

Jowd brushed away the unsettling thought of how close to home that had hit - now was not the time for that, and smiled. "Yes, I suppose I would."

"I'd be there to take care of him, baby. You knooow that." Cabanela slung an arm over, resting his hand on Jowd's back, and rested his body comfortably against Alma's.

"We really shouldn't talk about such things around Kamila."

Alma glanced at their daughter. "She's busy teaching the cat to dance. I don't think we have to worry."

"I swear I'll never understaaand that cat." Cabanela had to marvel at Sissel's incredible tolerance. Most cats, as far as he knew, would rather claw a child's eyes out before letting them do as they wished.

"You and me both," Alma agreed. "If we ever somehow end up on a tropical island, I hope we can all do it together."

"Of cooourse, it would be no fun if we were separated from each other. I'd be ever so lonely, baby."

The song came to an end and the next one began. They sipped their champagne and talked some more. Eventually, the album reached its end. Jowd glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"Hmm, it's about time to make a start on dinner, isn't it?"

"Oh, it is... we lost track of time again as usual."

"Well, it's my turn to cook dinner." Jowd rose from the couch. "You get to enjoy cuisine du Jowd tonight, Cabanela."

"Looking fooorward to it, baby."

"I'm hungry," Kamila piped up.

"Are you? I'll get you something. You want to come and watch Daddy in the kitchen?"

"Yeah!"

They left, Sissel following after them.

"So..." Cabanela fell silent, staring into space as he mentally sought a new topic. "I heard you had a fun time out last night with some friends, didn't you?"

"Yes. Jowd apparently found going to bed alone a miserable experience, the poor thing."

"Did he nooow? Sorry I couldn't be there to keep him company, with work keepin' me busy and all. Next time, I'll even join him in the bed if he wants."

Alma started giggling, clapping a hand over her mouth. Cabanela chuckled as well.

"But, you know... I don't think all three of us can even fit into the bed," Alma murmured. "Not very easily, anyway."

"Hey, I'm pretty flexible. We could find a way."

"Mmm, we'll see. While we were discussing that other thing this morning, he did the whole getting lost in his thoughts routine again." Alma exhaled. "I wish I knew what he was thinking about."

"You're not the only one." Cabanela smiled wryly. "Seriously though, it's obvious that there's something up with him. I sure wish he would tell us what it is."

"Well, we can't go forcing it out of him. I believe he'll tell us when he's ready to do so."

"You got any ideas?"

"Not at all. I can't even begin to imagine why Sissel never sheds, eats or uses the litter tray. Though I suppose him never using it is a bonus."

"You're saaavin' a lot on cat food too."

"Yeah. He's the perfect pet, isn't he?"

"I'm gonna put some more music on." Cabanela leaped to his feet. "You feel up to dancin' a bit?"

"Sure, why not?"

Cabanela put the music on and held his hand out to her. She took it and they began to dance. Their steps and movements were perfectly in sync. They twirled and stepped with the music, steadily holding each other's gazes.

It went on for the next three songs before they decided they'd had enough and sank down onto the couch, collapsing onto each other. Eventually, they heard Jowd calling out to them that dinner was ready.

They came to sit at the table and Jowd put out bowls filled with steaming spaghetti carbonara. A loaf of warm garlic bread sat upon a bread board at the center of the table.

"Italian food," said Jowd. "Your favorite."

"Looovely." Cabanela took his fork and expertly flung it into the air with a flick of the wrist, causing it to spin in mid-air and the strands of spaghetti wrapped themselves around it. Somehow, he still avoided getting drops of sauce onto his coat. It was a surprising talent that his friends could still marvel at and he had yet to tell them how it was even possible.

His hand closed around the fork before it could fall back down and he slurped down the strands of spaghetti. He licked stray spots of sauce from his lips. "Mmm, this is excellent. "

"This recipe worked out quite well." Alma dug in and brought up a forkful of mushroom and bacon coated in cream. She chewed on it, making a contented sound as she did so. "Italian food is so good," she added after swallowing.

"Yes, I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out," Jowd remarked. He was already making good progress, heaping generous forkfuls of it into his mouth.

"He says that, but he's wiiishing it was a juicy brown chicken in front of him. If it was up to him, we'd always be going out for chicken."

"That's not true. I do like other things besides chicken. I just like my food to go well with ketchup... and I find that chicken goes best with ketchup."

"Does that mean you don't like this?" Alma gave him a mock stare of accusation.

"I never said that. Anyway, if I tried to put ketchup on it, you would both act like I was committing some kind of crime against food."

"He knooows us well."

"Yes, he does."

They continued to eat, making small talk all the while, until their bowls were almost empty and the bread had been reduced to nothing more than crumbs and remnants of crust.

"Oh, look at you. What a mess." Alma picked up Kamila's napkin and wiped her face. "You liked that, didn't you?"

"Mmm hmm." Kamila nodded. "It was yummy."

"You've got good taste," Cabanela observed, nodding approvingly.

"Good... taste...?" Kamila repeated, sounding confused. She didn't quite understand what the words meant together.

"Anyway, you're looking forward to the cake, aren't you?" Jowd asked.

"Yep!" Kamila bounced up and down on the seat. "Can we have cake now?"

"Alright, alright," Alma said quickly. "Time for cake then."

The plates were cleared away and Alma brought out the cake. A single candle had been placed in the center, its tip bearing a flickering flame. She carefully set it down in front of Cabanela.

When Alma, Jowd and Kamila had finished singing "Happy Birthday", Cabanela blew out the candle. The flame disappeared, leaving behind a tiny wisp of smoke that wafted up into the air.

"I'm kinda glad there was only a single candle on the cake. Imagine if it was nearly thirty of them... think that would make me feel even ooolder to be honest. Actually, you haven't heard about what Jowd said to me this morning, have you, Alma?"

Jowd put his head in his hand and shook it. "I knew he wasn't going to forget about it."

"No. What did he say?"

"So, we've just met up at the station... Jowd greets me with a 'Happy birthday, old friend' and follows it up with 'Thirty seven years old, eh? Time flies.' Can you believe it?" Cabanela shot Jowd a look of mock indignation. "When I called him out on it, he actually looked confused for a moment. I was afraid he really thought I was in my late thirties. The neeerve."

"Oh, Jowd." Alma looked at her husband. Though she was trying to sound reproachful, she couldn't wipe the amused smile from her face. "How could you?"

"It was just a little joke. No harm done." Jowd added a short laugh. In truth, it had just happened to be another one of those occasional slip ups he could attribute to his having ten years of extra memories.

"Suuure. Well then, allow me to cut the cake." Cabanela rose to his feet, lifted up the cake knife and thrust it into the air. His body twirled around once and then he brought down the knife, slicing it neatly into the cake.

Slices of cake were handed out and eaten. The sponge was luxuriously fluffy, the icing thick and creamy and the strawberries ever so sweet. In the end, there was barely any cake left. It really had been just as good as it appeared.

With dinner out of the way, it was time for Cabanela to receive his birthday presents.

"I painted a picture for you, Uncle Cabanela!" Kamila proudly held up a sheet of paper decorated in vivid colors. He could make out several stick figures drawn in front of what he suspected was a house.

"Oh, that's a veeery good picture." Cabanela took the paper from her. "Thank you very much."

Kamila's face split in a wide smile, her delight plainly evident.

Alma handed over her gift next. The only thing he could tell by holding it was that it was some kind of box. It felt slightly heavy in his hands and very solid. He took off the wrapping paper to reveal a wooden box. On the box's lid was a brass plaque etched with curly letters, spelling out the word "Memories".

Cabanela lifted the lid. Inside the box was a single photograph, depicting him with Jowd and Alma. They were standing outside the police station, smiling at the camera with their arms around each other.

"It's a memento box. You can keep things in it to remind you of the times we've all been together," Alma said. "I thought you might like it."

"What a thoughtful present indeed. Thaaank you." Cabanela gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

Next was Jowd's. It turned out to be a bottle of vintage bourbon.

"You got me the good stuff, I see." Cabanela read the label, nodding in approval. "Thaaanks. I'm looking forward to trying it sometime." He set it down and went to give Jowd a hug as well. Jowd patted him on the back.

They talked a little more until Alma noticed Kamila's constant yawns. It was clearly time for her to go to sleep, so she took her upstairs to help her get ready for bed. In the meantime, Jowd and Cabanela did the dishes. Even though Cabanela was a guest, he didn't feel right just sitting there and doing nothing while everyone else did all the work, and besides, he knew how much Jowd hated cleaning up. It was the right thing to do as a friend, helping ease his workload.

They had just finished when Alma returned. There had been no difficulty in putting Kamila to bed; she was already dropping off to sleep with her favorite teddy in her arms at that moment and would remain that way throughout the night.

Now that all the hard work was out of the way, they could look forward to relaxing for the rest of the evening. The night was starting to grow late but they could still spare time for one more activity, namely watching one of their favorite movies together.

Blankets and cushions were spread out over the floor of the living room, facing the television. They lay down on the blankets - Jowd sandwiched firmly in the middle as usual. Alma and Cabanela found him quite comfortable for resting their heads and arms on, and he certainly never complained. One more blanket covered their bodies to keep them warm. It was so comfortable, they would have happily stayed that way throughout the entire night, but they settled for just the entirety of the movie.

When the movie came to an end, they were all quite tired. Just disentangling themselves from each other seemed like an effort but they managed it and trudged up the stairs.

Whispers of "good night" and brief hugs were exchanged at the very top and Cabanela disappeared into the guest room, while Jowd and Alma retreated to their own room. They got ready for bed and slipped beneath the sheets. The lights remained on while they lay there, holding onto each other.

"What a nice evening we had, eh?"

"Yes. We always have a good time together." Alma closed her eyes. The contented smile on her face remained. "I hope days like these can last forever."

"I'm sure they will." Jowd pressed his lips into her hair. There would be no tragedy five years from now, he knew that much. She wouldn't end up dying in a tragic incident perpetrated by a dead man. He wouldn't wind up behind bars to protect their daughter. True, he didn't know what would happen in the five years after that point in time when everything had changed in another world, but he was sure of one thing. Sissel would do his utmost best to protect them and their happy lives.

"I just remembered... you know what happened earlier with Cabanela talking about how you got his age wrong and you said it was a joke?" An uncertain pause followed. "Was it really?"

He could have lied, told her that it was indeed, but he didn't want to do that. Evading the subject was one thing, but to constantly tell her falsehoods didn't seem right. So he told her the truth. "Not really."

"I thought so. Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being honest with me. I know you have a few secrets, though I can't imagine what they could be, but I'm not holding it against you. I trust you." Alma brought her hand up to caress his thick beard. "Will you talk about it someday though? I don't like to think about you being troubled by it your whole life."

"I might. Just... I'm not really ready yet." He couldn't quite bring himself to expose her to the horrors of what had gone on in that other timeline. Her death, his subsequent sacrifice for Kamila's sake, Cabanela spending the next five years working to save him, the twisted actions of a man bent on revenge... it would be a lot to deal with. Not just for her, but for Cabanela too, he suspected.

"I understand. I love you."

"I love you too."

The lights went off and they held onto each other a while longer before they eventually drifted off into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I was delighted at the opportunity to be able to write a fanfic for Yuletide that was not only in this fandom, but could feature my OT3. I originally tried to go for "curtain fic" though it seemed to have evolved beyond that, so I went with "slice of life". At any rate, I had fun writing this and I hope you liked it, dear Yuletide recipient.


End file.
